Weiner Foundation urgese skateboarders, bikers to wear helmets

Date: 12/21/2009

By Courtney Llewellyn

Reminder Assistant Editor



EAST LONGMEADOW -- A year ago on Dec. 20, Gregory Raymond Weiner passed away from a severe brain injury sustained during a skateboarding accident that took place five days prior. He was 18 years old.

By his own choosing, Gregory was a blood and organ donor. Transplants of his heart, lungs, liver and kidneys saved four lives. His eyes were able to potentially provide sight to a person who was visually impaired. Medical research and potentially hundreds of lives will also benefit from his tissue, nerve, bone and cell donations. His family said they are proud of his gift of life.

Gregory, who had been attending Virginia Tech, left behind three sisters, Cassandra, Meredith and Erin, his parents Alena and Dana (a native of East Longmeadow) and his grandparents Raymond and Dorcas, who still reside in East Longmeadow.

Gregory was not wearing a helmet at the time his accident occurred, and that's part of the reason his family established the Gregory Weiner Foundation, which is now a certified 501(c)(3) public charity. The foundation's motto is "Save a Life. Wear a Helmet."

"The foundation is now fully in effect for Greg," Raymond, his grandfather, told Reminder Publications. "It's about promoting helmet safety awareness. That's the key."

"As the anniversary of Greg's death [passed], we are ever more committed to raising public awareness and advocating the proper use of helmets during recreational activity," Meredith Weiner Mowen, Gregory's aunt, added. United States Navy Capt. Dana Weiner, Gregory's father, is currently stationed in Sigonella, Italy, so Mowen is serving as the head of the foundation at the moment.

She noted that the foundation intends to accomplish its mission by creating and supporting outreach programs that facilitate those wishing to learn more about helmet safety and accommodating helmet use by individuals engaged in recreational activities, such as skateboarding and snowboarding.

"Greg was a water polo enthusiast as are his sisters Meredith and Erin," Mowen said. "Meredith graduated from the University of Virginia this past May and her former water polo teammates recently held an event for the foundation, raising over $500."

The Weiner family believes it is important that Gregory's legacy include promoting helmet safety awareness, and to do so, they are accepting donations through his memorial foundation. Anyone interested in this cause can send contributions to the Gregory Weiner Foundation, 6 Briarwood Rd., Shrewsbury, PA 17361.